I am an evil giraffe. Who no longer blogs about politics.

There is a saying: People are always most conservative about the things that they care about. Senator Charles Schumer apparently cares quite a good deal about our ally Israel not being consumed in a nuclear fire. His remarks Sunday night about Iranian sanctions:

Via Hot Air, including a partial transcript. Spoilers: Schumer’s for more sanctions, and is worried about what will happen to Israel if Iran gets a nuke. Like most of the rest of the country, mind you.

It will be very interesting to see how this plays out. Harry Reid promised last Thursday to move sanctions through the Senate; but, of course, Barack Obama’s announcement took place last Saturday. What, exactly, is Reid going to do now? For that matter, what is Schumer? Normally I would assume that Schumer and Reid and the White House were all in communication with each other on the subject, and it was understood by all that the Senate would be doing what it will be doing, and the White House would be doing what it will be doing. But it is entirely possible that there is no communication going on. And that the White House is fully expecting Harry Reid to get Charles Schumer back in line and following Obama’s lead.

If that’s true, I don’t know how that story ends. Schumer knows darn well that the GOP caucus will stand up en masse and vote for new sanctions; and that his own caucus has a lot of pro-sanctions Senators in it as well. Opposing that is a White House that expects complete obedience to its will. I can’t wait to see how Reid threads the needle.

Moe Lane

PS: Democratic Senators from the Northeast – hi, Cory Booker! – are particularly sweating this one. I know, I know: you’re all ripped up about that.

First, Charles Schumer has no one and nothing that he will not betray at the behest of a Democrat in the White House. I expect that he will do as he is told, but extract a personally profitable price.

Second, on the question of it being a treaty. If we made the assumption that it was a treaty and subject to the Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 requirement of 2/3 of the Senate; and the White House just ignored that requirement … who exactly of either party would raise the issue, and what could be done?